Don't Make Promises You Can't Keep

A New, Not Super, Hero

2 weeks, 2 weeks have gone by since Officer Stacy had been killed. 2 weeks since Peter has given up, on Spider-man, and on himself. So here I sit, in a crowded coffee shop with my brother. He tells me about his soon to be wife, though i pay no attention to the words escaping his mouth. 

It was getting close to winter, snow started to fall and the nights got down to 30 degrees. Crime levels started to rise as the felons of the city realized Spider-Man was no longer willing to stop them. I had multiple encounters myself in the past couple of days, I tried to stop them, but it only ended in pain. I don't care though. As long as I can help people, no matter the consequences, I will help them. No one else will, not Peter, not Spider-Man. He blames himself for what happened. I try to understand, but in the end, he is needed. This city needs him, and he is grieving. I try to visit him but, he hides from me or doesn't speak to me. It makes me feel sick of myself. At the end of the day, he is needed by the citizens of this city, and by me.

"Max? Are you even listening?" My brother, Cody, questions. My gaze out the window ceases and my eyes land on him. "Honestly, no i'm not. Look i'm happy for you and Audrey, I really am, but it's difficult right now. I can hardly focus in school or at work. Ever since- that night- everything has changed." I focus back out the window. A woman and her child, walking happily down the sidewalk as a man approaches her from behind. "I get that, i do, but i also need your help." The man confronts the woman, "So I think you need to grow up, get over Peter," The man forces the woman against the wall and pushes the kid down, I spring from my seat and rush to the door. "And start- Hey! Where are you going?"

I rush towards the man and scream, "HEY! Get off of her!" The man turns around and laughs.  "What are you gonna do about it punk?" The man questions, the woman looks towards me with fear in her eyes and mouths 'Take my child and run'. I pick up the little boy and place him on the fire escape above. "Stay there okay kiddo?" The man laughs again and knocks the woman head into the brick wall leaving her mind spinning in and out of consciousness. I attack the man which surprised him but, soon he fought back. "Get out of here lady!" I scream when i get my chance. She grabs her child and makes a run for it.  "You got some big balls to fight me girly," the man says as he has my back against a wall. "But you picked the wrong fight." With those lat words, he sends a hard blow against my head. I fall to the ground, seeping in and out of consciousness, trying to keep my eyes open as i watch the man walk away.

I push myself off the cold concrete and start towards my home, Earning strange looks from people passing by me. I sigh as i stop on instinct in front of a house i use to be so familiar with. I look up at the place and see someones face in the window. The curtain quickly falls back into place as i stood there with tears escaping my eyes as I waited for the door to open. I waited 1 minute that quickly turned into 2, then 5, the 18,and finally I realized he wasn't going to come out. He didn't want to see me. And he didn't care that i just took a beating to potentially save a woman and child from a bad man. He didn't care. Did he ever care?